New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS) Hockey India and the Union Sports Ministry are on a collision course, washing their dirty linen in public, each accusing the other of sabotaging the election to the apex body of the game in the country.
After Sports Minister M.S. Gill and former India captain Pargat Singh accused manipulation in HI electoral college, HI secretary-general Narendra Batra went on overdrive Monday to dub the ministry as the “sports ministry of Punjab”, not of the Union.

Batra, armed with sheafs of documents relating to the affiliation, said the sports ministry pressured HI to grant affiliation to Hockey Punjab even if its documents are incomplete.

Batra revealed at a crowded press conference that the sports ministry went out of its way to promote the interests of Punjab by sending a missive to HI that the state unit should be affiliated come what may without raising any objections.

Batra also said one of the reasons for former HI president Ashok Kumar Mattoo putting in his papers is the humiliation he had to undergo from the ministry officials.

“The sports ministry wanted HI to grant affiliation to Punjab even without the formalities being completed and put undue pressure on our officials to grant them affiliation,” said Batra.

Reacting to Union Sports Minister M.S. Gill’s statement Sunday that the HI election process was not fair and transparent, a furious Batra asked how could it be fair when a state unit wanted affiliation without proper documentation and the sports ministry’s backs it.

“The sports minister M.S. Gill gave a statement that state associations 60-70 years old were not given affiliation by HI. If you go through these papers, you will find that the ministry has clearly mentioned in their correspondence to scrupulously follow the one-state-one-unit policy. The minister on one hand says that we are not fair and transparent, and on the other hand ministry is ready to bend rules,” he said.

“I don’t know whether he (Gill) is talking everywhere to get publicity.”

Batra said Hockey Punjab’s affiliation was delayed because the women’s association raised serious allegations over the merger process.

“We sought clarification from HP. But the ministry sent us a letter that their affiliation has to be cleared. I want to ask why the ministry is promoting Punjab? What is their motive?”

Batra also alleged that the ministry has worked behind the scenes to “create hurdles” in the election process.

“States of Punjab, Delhi, Jharkhand and Bengal raised objections on the affiliations. You read their letters and you will be surprised that it is same word by word. There is no change even in the punctuation marks. The draft suggests it is the handiwork of ministry officials.”

Batra also lashed out at Pargat, who called Suresh Kalmadi a ’sports mafia’ Sunday and blamed the Indian Olympic Association president for the hockey mess.

“It was Pargat’s frustration coming out when he used such language for Mr.Kalmadi, who was never a candidate for HI president’s post. Pargat was himself in the affiliation committee. J.B Roy wanted to the become the president and he promised Pargat the post of secretary general. Even Amrit Bose, Gurbax Singh and Rajkumar Jaipal, who filed the case against HI in Rajasthan High Court, were in the HI affiliation committee,” Batra said.

“They got the support from the ministry. Pargat found that he is losing his ground and so all these people thought of moving the court to stay the elections.”

Batra said that HI was getting a better sponsorship deal than Sahara India Paraiwar, but had to stick with them because of their tie-up with superseded Indian Hockey Federation.